Monday, January 31, 2011

"From the results of rapid tests we did on two carcasses of dead chickens in the village of Simpang Pasir District Palaran positive results," said Chief Veterinary and Fish Health Section, Animal Husbandry Department of Samarinda, drh Jumiyanti, Sunday (01/30/2011).

This is the result obtained after conducting tests on chickens that died suddenly, so the bird flu endemic in Samarinda has expanded diempat village, he said"

" MIYAZAKI : Dead chickens found at a poultry farm in Miyazaki Prefecture were infected with a highly pathogenic avian flu virus, local officials said early Monday amid a spreading epidemic among local farms.

The results of detailed tests on the dead birds at the farm in the town of Takanabe confirm the season’s sixth outbreak of bird flu in the prefecture and the ninth in the country.

The prefectural government said it will start culling Monday morning all of the 40,000 chickens at the farm, adding it will also impose a ban on transporting chickens and eggs from poultry farms within a 10-kilometer radius."

" Moscow and two other cities shut their schools down for a week Saturday in an attempt to stop the worst flu outbreak to hit central Russia in over a decade. The Moscow education department's order covered over 1,500 public and private elementary schools.

Education officials said that this meant about 500,000 children would get an unscheduled week-long vacation in the first shutdown to strike the Russian capital since 1998.

"Even today, some classes are already missing half their students," an official with Moscow's health control service told the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

"The situation in Moscow is relatively favorable compared to what it is in the other regions" of central Russia, Alexander Gavrilov said."

" CARACAS : Tests have confirmed that 53 Venezuelans who attended a wedding last week in the Dominican Republic are infected with cholera, the Andean nation’s health minister said on Thursday.“All are already confirmed, all the cultures gave us positive results, so in Venezuela there are 37.

Apart from the 37 that there are in Venezuela, we have a report of 12 in the Dominican Republic, two in Madrid, one in Mexico and one in Boston,” Eugenia Sader told a press conference in Caracas.She said all the sick people attended a wedding celebration on Jan. 22 in the Dominican Republic, although a total of 452 Venezuelans were at the ceremony and could have consumed food infected with the cholera virus.

“Our objective is for these 452 people to receive appropriate attention,” she said, adding that fewer than 10 of the people diagnosed with the disease remain hospitalized."

" THE number of deaths from swine flu has doubled, according to figures released yesterday by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

Last week saw the highest death toll from swine flu so far this season, when five people died. This brings to 10 the total number of fatalities as a result of H1N1.

However, the overall influenza-associated death toll stands at 12, including the death of two people with Influenza B infection. Eleven of the deceased had underlying conditions. The east of the country had the highest death toll, claiming eight lives. Two people died in the south and two in the east.

" ROME, Jan. 27 : A total of 25 people have been killed by the A/H1N1 flu virus in Italy since the beginning of this year, authorities said Thursday.

The latest victim of the virus was a 51-year-old man who died on Thursday. The man was hospitalized in January and suffered from respiratory problems. Two other people, who contracted the influenza virus, are being treated on Thursday in emergency units and their conditions are serious.

A total of 14 people infected by the virus are currently lying in hospital beds receiving medical treatment."

" A new outbreak of dengue fever has been declared in the far north Queensland town of Innisfail.

Queensland Health on Friday declared an outbreak after receiving confirmation at least one locally acquired case of the mosquito-borne virus.

One resident has been diagnosed with the virus and authorities are awaiting confirmation on another suspected case in the town.

Queensland Health Medical Director Dr Jeffrey Hanna urged residents, particularly those in East Innisfail, to take steps to prevent a repeat of the 2009 outbreak which resulted in 35 residents being diagnosed with the virus.

He urged residents to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and to clear up potential breeding zones around their property."

" The fifth confirmed outbreak of avian flu in two months has experts concerned that migratory birds are bringing to Japan highly pathogenic viruses that could survive for a long time and devastate the nation's poultry industry.

"The current situation is such that bird flu could break out anywhere, anytime, across Japan," said Hiroshi Kida, a professor of veterinary medicine at Hokkaido University. "All we can do is to contain it locally by swiftly reporting (an outbreak) and culling birds."

The Aichi prefectural government said early Thursday that a highly virulent H5 strain killed birds at a poultry farm in Toyohashi. "

" In response to the recent influenza situation in Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority (HA), in close collaboration with the Centre for Health Protection, has activated the enhanced monitoring system for severe influenza patients staying at the intensive care unit of public hospitals. The HA spokesman announced the following update today (January 27):

The United Christian Hospital (UCH) announced that a 48-year-old male patient, confirmed with Human Swine Influenza today, was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) this afternoon for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Treatment. QEH is one of the designated ECMO centres of the HA.

The patient is in critical condition and prescribed with Tamiflu and antibiotic and requires ventilation support. The patient attended the Accident and Emergency Department of the UCH yesterday (January 26) with fever and flu symptoms. He was admitted for treatment and his condition deteriorated. The patient was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the UCH on the same day."

Thursday, January 27, 2011

" Chickens at a poultry farm in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, have been confirmed infected with a highly pathogenic avian flu virus, the prefectural government said Wednesday.

Elsewhere, suspected cases of bird flu were detected in Aichi and Kochi prefectures, raising concern the disease may spread across the nation.

After seven out of 10 chickens tested from the Izumi poultry farm were confirmed to be infected with the H5 bird flu strain, the prefecture had all 8,600 chickens there killed.

The Kagoshima case is the third outbreak this month of highly pathogenic bird flu among chickens, following cases in the city of Miyazaki and in Shintomi, Miyazaki Prefecture, where the virus was confirmed as a highly lethal strain."

" Suspected outbreak of bird flu re-emerged in a number of areas in Pacitan, East Java.Head of Animal Health in the Department of Food and Farming Pacitan, Fathur Rozi, Wednesday said that currently there are two villages which have been confirmed infected with the deadly virus that usually attacks the avian residents.

"The information that we received while and have been followed up there around 150 chickens owned by residents in the Village and Village Nanggungan Ploso, Pacitan District, died suddenly. A similar case also we find in the Village Jatimalang, District Arjosari at about the same time," he asserted.

According to him, the institute has conducted preparedness by setting up a number of vaccine and disinfectant fluid in sufficient quantity."

" SINGAPORE : The Ministry of Health (MOH) has issued an alert, urging those with chronic illnesses, the elderly, and young children, to be vaccinated against the flu.

This is because cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) are still on the rise, having crossed the epidemic threshold earlier this month. Last week, 20,203 people sought treatment in polyclinics for ARI and ILI, an increase of 13 per cent from the previous week. The number of patients seeking help for ARI at the emergency departments also showed upward trends in the last few weeks.

MOH revealed that 76 per cent, or approximately four out of five cases, of influenza were caused by the H1N1 virus. It urged vulnerable groups such as very young children, the elderly and patients with chronic illnesses to be vaccinated against the flu. It said that even though most cases of influenza resolve with rest and symptomatic treatment, the illness can result in complications such as pneumonia or even death for some."

" In response to the recent influenza situation in Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority (HA), in close collaboration with the Centre for Health Protection, has activated the enhanced monitoring system for severe influenza patients staying at the intensive care unit of public hospitals. The HA spokesman announced the following update today (January 26):

A 16-year-old male patient in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was confirmed Human Swine Influenza today. The patient, now in serious condition, is under anti-viral and antibiotic treatment and also on ventilation support. The hospital will continue to closely monitor his condition. The patient developed fever symptom on January 23 and was admitted to QEH for treatment via Accident and Emergency Department.

As at 2pm today, there were a total of 15 influenza patients, including the new patient case in QEH, staying in the intensive care unit of public hospitals.

In addition, a 27-year-old female patient developed flu symptoms on January 20. She attended the Accident & Emergency Department of Tseung Kwan O Hospital (TKOH) for shortness of breath and fever on January 25 and was admitted to the medical ward. Her condition deteriorated and she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on the same day for further treatment. She was prescribed Tamiflu and antibiotics. She suffered from respiratory failure and was on ventilation support. Her condition continued to deteriorate. The patient was certified dead on the same day. Her test result confirmed Human Swine Influenza this afternoon. She has no chronic disease history.The case has been referred to the Coroner. The hospital would like to express its condolences to the patient's family."

" LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu, Philippines : After posting 15 cases, as documented by the latest data from the Regional Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health (DoH) Central Visayas field office for the period January 1 to 22, this city now tops the number of dengue cases in the region.

This city is followed by Mandaue City and Cebu City with nine cases each although the latter has one reported death, the only place to report a fatality from dengue as of press time.

Dr. Jocelyn Abellana, medical specialist IV of DoH7 bared that there were lesser cases reported in the said period with only 87 cases and one death or a reduction of 87 percent compared to data for the same period last year with 673 cases and nine deaths recorded."

" NEW flights to Bali may pave the way for Townsville residents to explore South-East Asia but it has also opened up the region to visitors of a different kind.

Two people have recently returned home from Bali after contracting the potentially deadly dengue fever virus while on holidays.

The news has sparked concern from the Townsville City Council and Queensland Health over the possibility of foreign strains of dengue fever and even other tropical diseases or parasites being brought into the region.

Both organisations have planned discussions with new international carrier Strategic Airlines on how to combat the problem and protect the region from outbreaks.

Australian health authorities issued an alert after 11 cases of Legionnaires' disease were detected in Victorian and Western Australian residents returning from holidays in the Kuta area of Bali between August 2010 and January 2011."

" Regarding a male psychiatric ward of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) in which some patients have been confirmed with Human Swine Influenza (HSI), a hospital spokesperson announced the following update today (January 26):

One more 30-year-old male patient in the ward has presented with fever. Appropriate viral tests have been arranged and the outcome confirmed human swine influenza today. The patient is being treated under isolation and has been prescribed with Tamiflu. He is in a stable condition."

" Preliminary testing of a dead Black-headed Gull found on Lantau has proved positive for H5 avian influenza virus, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (January 26), adding that further confirmatory tests were being conducted. The bird's carcass was found and collected on January 24 at 81 South Perimeter Road, Lantau. The Black-headed Gull is a common winter visitor.

The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the dead bird was found.

In view of the case, the AFCD has phoned poultry farmers to remind them to strengthen precautionary and biosecurity measures against avian influenza. Letters have been issued to farmers, pet bird shop owners, licence holders of pet poultry and racing pigeons reminding them that proper precautions must be taken."

" Girl travelling to Jharkand admitted to Sassoon: hospital also confirms another case of 65-year-old.

Cholera has arrived in the city. Two persons have tested positive for cholera after their stool samples were sent to the Sassoon General Hospital. Officials at the hospital confirmed that the culture tests at the microbiology lab have indicated vibrio cholerae of the El Tor type, which doctors said is a milder form of the highly infectious bacterial disease.

This they said should be reported to the international community.Dr Anju Kagal, head of microbiology department, said the first sample was of a 16-year-old girl Juhi Kumari Yadav, who was travelling to Jharkand with two friends. "She developed severe diarrhoea and dehydration and had to alight in Pune. She was admitted to Sassoon hospital and was treated here after her sample tested positive for cholera.

The second person's stool sample was sent by Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital for confirmation of cholera," said Kagal.Kagal said the patient was a 65-year-old and refused to divulge further details citing patient confidentiality."

" HA NOI : In the first three weeks of this year, 26 people tested positive for A/H1N1 influenza, according to the Ministry of Health's Preventive Health Department.The first case was discovered in Long An Province and since then, 15 cases had been reported in HCM City and 10 in Ha Noi.

Professor Tran Thanh Duong, deputy director of the department, said that the department had tested 52 samples between December 27, 2010 and January 2.

The results revealed that 30.8 per cent were infected with flu. However, most patients showed only light flu symptoms with no serious complications, he said."

" Port-au-Prince, Jan 26 : More than 3,900 Haitians have died of cholera since the outbreak of the disease in mid-October, the country's health officials has said.

The disease has spread across all 10 provinces of Haiti, infecting 199,497 people. Of the 112,656 patients hospitalised, 110,031 have been successfully treated.

Artibonite, the northern province, accounts for 852 cholera deaths, while 632 fatalities have been registered in Ouest province, including Port-au-Prince, where hundreds of thousands stay in camps more than a year after the devastating earthquake that claimed some 300,000 lives."

" TOKYO, Jan. 26 : Chickens at a poultry farm in Japan' s southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, local government officials said Wednesday.

The prefectural government said that of the 10 birds tested for the virus, eight of them tested positive. The culling of around 8,600 chickens has already started at the poultry farm in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, according to the officials.

This is the third case this year and the fourth since December that mass poultry culling has occurred in Japan following the detection of the avian flu virus, which officials say in some cases was a particularly infective strain."

" KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia released about 6,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into a forest in the first experiment of its kind in Asia aimed at curbing dengue fever, officials said Wednesday.

The field test is meant to pave the way for the official use of genetically engineered Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes to mate with females and produce offspring with shorter lives, thus curtailing the mosquito population. Only female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spread dengue fever, which killed 134 people in Malaysia last year.

The plan has sparked criticism by some Malaysian environmentalists, who fear it might have unforeseen consequences, such as the inadvertent creation of uncontrollable mutated mosquitoes. Government authorities have tried to allay the concerns by saying they are conducting small-scale research and will not rush into any widespread release of mosquitoes."

" KAGOSHIMA : Chickens at a poultry farm in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, tested positive for bird flu in a preliminary examination, the prefecture said Tuesday, following outbreaks of a highly lethal strain of avian influenza in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The Kagoshima farm raises some 8,600 chickens for eggs. There are around 160 poultry farms within a 10-km radius of the farm, accounting for some 5.25 million birds.

" A 35-year-old man who was hospitalized two weeks ago with complications from the H1N1 flu virus at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem died on Tuesday at the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus.

He was transferred there to be attached to a special device meant to keep him breathing, but it did not succeed. The Health Ministry continues to urge the public, especially those at high risk, to get vaccinated."

" Two baby boys have tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1) and are in critical condition, according to the Health Bureau.According to a press release sent on Monday night, the babies aged three months and two years and eight months old, respectively, are hospitalized at the public hospital Conde de São Januário.

On Saturday, the boys’ health conditions started to worsen and they began having breathing difficulties.Neither of the two babies had been vaccinated against influenza nor seasonal flu this year.In addition, on Monday, the Health Bureau reported a flu outbreak at a nursery and at a children’s home.

A total of 15 children aged between one and five years are suffering from flu, of which one is now at the hospital in stable condition."

" In response to the recent influenza situation in Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority (HA), in close collaboration with the Centre for Health Protection, has activated the enhanced monitoring system for severe influenza patients staying at the intensive care unit of public hospitals.

The HA spokesman announced the following update today (January 25):

The Tseung Kwan O Hospital announced that a 42-year-old male patient confirmed Human Swine Influenza (HSI) on January 24 is being treated in the Intensive Care Unit. The patient, now in critical condition, is under Tamiflu and antibiotic treatment.

The hospital will continue to closely monitor his condition. The patient presented with fever on January 17. He attended Accident and Emergency Department on January 23 for shortness of breath and was admitted for further treatment.

Furthermore, the Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) announced that a 14-year-old female patient confirmed HSI today is being treated in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

The patient, now in serious condition, is under Tamiflu and antibiotic treatment and also on ventilation support.

The hospital will continue to closely monitor her condition.

The patient was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for dyspnoea on January 8 and transferred to KWH on January 17 for continuous treatment. She developed fever symptom on the following day."

" 25 January 2011 : On 3 January 2011, the Minister of Health in Côte d'Ivoire notified WHO of a yellow fever outbreak in the north of the country. As of January 17, 2011 a total of 12 cases tested IgM positive by ELISA at the Institut Pasteur of Abidjan and were subsequently confirmed positive for yellow fever by the regional reference laboratory, the Institut Pasteur of Dakar (by ELISA and PRNT). These cases originate from Béoumi and Katiola districts, in the Bandama Valley Region in the centre of the country, and Séguéla and Mankono in the Worodougou Region in the north of the country.

In response to this outbreak, a field investigation was conducted in Béoumi and Katiola districts from 10 to 15 January 2011 by the Ministry of Health with support from the WHO country office. During this investigation a total of 64 suspected cases, including 25 deaths, were identified. Further laboratory testing is on-going."

Three subdistricts namely Mugirejo Village, Village and Village Evidence Pinang Greeting. It is disclosed Kasie Animal Health, Animal Husbandry Department Samarinda, Jumianti sampling location that is in RT 13 Kelurahan Mugirejo, District of North Samarinda, Samarinda, on Tuesday (01/25/2011 )."

" SWINE flu has hit West Norfolk, with three confirmed cases currently being treated at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

There has also been an influx of patients suffering from respiratory problems, and extra staff with experience of dealing with these conditions have been drafted in to help to care for them.

A spokesman said these patients were suffering from a number of different conditions which caused respiratory problems. Last week 13 people were being treated in intensive care with respiratory problems, however this number has dropped in the last week."

" The Labour Department has advised employers and employees to take precautionary measures for the prevention of influenza.

A spokesman for the Labour Department said today (January 25) it was of the utmost importance that employers and employees should stay vigilant in guarding against the risk of influenza at workplaces, as a healthy and safe workplace was in both their interests."

" SHINTOMI, Miyazaki Prefecture : A second outbreak of avian flu was confirmed in Miyazaki Prefecture, prompting a dispatch of Ground Self-Defense Force troops Monday to help prevent a further spread of the disease.

Miyazaki Governor Shunji Kono requested the emergency SDF dispatch after 20 birds were found dead Sunday at a giant poultry farm complex in Shintomi. Five of six birds tested were found to have been infected with the H5 influenza virus.

About 170 troops were to be deployed from the GSDF base in Miyakonojo on Monday and join efforts to contain the disease Tuesday."

According to the head of Livestock and Fishery Service of Kabupaten Kuningan, Triastami, 56 dead chickens reported in Desa Kedungarum and 15 in Desa Cigarukgak, all confirmed bird flu positive by rapid test."

" A 29-year-old man became the first victim of swine flu this year in the city on Monday.Four other patients tested positive for H1N1 (Type-A) Influenza strain in Karachi, bringing the number of such patients to 29 in Sindh this year, Influenza Surveillance Cell officials said.

" Greek Health Ministry officials announced on Monday that six confirmed fatalities have been reported across the country so far this year because of the A/H1N1 flu.

Despite the fact that all the deaths occurred over the past week, experts of the Greek Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the toll is within expectations, as the seasonal flu which contains the dangerous virus strain spreads.

The latest and youngest victim this year is a 14-year-old girl in Athens. For precaution reasons the high school she attended closed down on Monday."

" MIYAZAKI : The Miyazaki Prefectural Government stepped up its latest bird flu fight Monday after infections were confirmed at a second poultry farm, triggering the culling of about 410,000 chickens in the town of Shintomi late the previous day.

To prevent the highly pathogenic avian flu from spreading further, it asked the Ground Self-Defense Force for disaster relief assistance and received a team of 170 troops from a camp based in the prefecture to help bury the carcasses and perform other work Tuesday.

While it is expected to take several days to kill all the birds and bury them, about 10,000 chickens already culled at a nearby farm in the prefectural capital Miyazaki, where the flu first broke out, are slated to be burned by Monday evening."

" Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, livestock farmers are voluntarily cutting themselves off from their family and friends in fear that visitors might infect their farms with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or avian influenza A, fencing themselves in, shutting down roads and closing local markets.

Residents of Gaya, Hongseong County, South Chungcheong, have blocked off roads leading to their village to fend off visitors from contagious regions since Jan. 11. Gaya is free of FMD.

Kim Yeong-pal, the 52-year-old head of the village, said, “We are willing to bear more inconveniences if we can successfully fend off the FMD virus.”

Another press release from the Centre for Health Protection, this time an update with regards to the flu situation in Hong Kong, excerpt :

" A spokesman for the Centre of Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has reminded the public to stay vigilant against influenza.

While Hong Kong has entered the winter peak influenza season, the spokesman said influenza activity is expected to increase further during the next few weeks. CHP is closely monitoring influenza activity in the community.

During the week ending January 22, a total of 105 influenza isolates were detected by Public Health Laboratory Centre. The majority (81%) of them were influenza A (H1N1) 2009, followed by influenza A (H3N2) (10%) and influenza B (7%).

The number of influenza-like-illness outbreaks occurring in institutions and schools increased from 18 in the week ending January 15 to 59 in the week ending January 22. In the first two days of this week (as at 2pm), CHP recorded 10 reports of influenza-like-illness outbreaks occurring in institutions and schools."

" Six patients (aged from 23 to 59) of a male psychiatric ward of the PYNEH have presented with fever and upper respiratory infection symptoms since January 19. Appropriate viral tests had been arranged for the patients and their test results were positive to human swine influenza. The patients are being treated under isolation and are prescribed with Tamiflu and are in stable condition.

Admission to the ward has been suspended. Restricted visiting to and discharge from the ward have been imposed. Infection control measures have already been stepped up. All other patients in the ward concerned are under close surveillance."

Monday, January 24, 2011

" A flu epidemic has been declared in Bulgaria's regions of Shumen and Varna on Monday.

A patient in the city of Shumen has been proven to be a case of the so-called swine flu A(H1N1) virus, but is reported to be in good condition. The number of those with flu symptoms in the Black Sea capital of Varna has been steadily going up in the last few days.

According to data from the National Reference Laboratory, 30% of sick persons tested in Sofia carry the A(H1N1) type virus.

This year the flu can lead pneumonia, doctors say, and warn strongly against self-medicating and taking antibiotics.

The flu epidemic status has already been set for the entire Sofia Region, including the capital Sofia, where the number of those having the flu has reached 155 per 1 000, as well as for the Pazardzhik and Vratsa Regions, the cities of Pleven and Blagoevgrad and a number of towns in the Blagoevgrad Region."

" TOKYO, Jan. 24 : The Miyazaki Prefectural government on Monday redoubled its efforts to combat the outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus in the prefecture, located on the eastern coast of the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan.

Following conformation of the virus at a second poultry farm in the area, more culling of chickens is expected after a 410,000 chickens were slaughtered at a farm there on Sunday, local media said.

The local government announced Saturday that a genetic test had detected the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus in six chickens at the Mori Furanjo Omagari Nojo farm in the city of Miyazaki, where dozens of birds were found dead."

" LEGAZPI CITY : The Department of Health (DOH) regional office here mobilized its health emergency response team to prevent the further spread of the number of persons who were downed by diarrhea which already claimed one death in a remote village of Siruma town in Camarines Sur.

During a Press conference held at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional office here this morning called by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC), Dr. Rose Rempillo of the DOH regional office emergency response team disclosed that a total of 250 persons were initially diagnosed as having been afflicted by diarrhea.

The patients were diagnosed at the DOH field hospital set up in barangay Butawanan an island barangay of Siruma town last Saturday."

" About 50 new A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported at a brigade base of the Finnish Defense Forces in Kajaani in central Finland, Finnish media reported Sunday.According to the report, the patients have started to exhibit influenza symptoms since January 10, when this year's new conscripts reported for service.

The results of laboratory test showed that the patients have contracted A/H1N1 flu virus, against which they had not been vaccinated before their military service.

Finland saw its first A/H1N1 flu case of the latest flu season last November, when a conscript at an armored brigade base in southern Finland was confirmed to have been infected with the virus."

" Algiers : Swine flu, or influenza virus A/ H1N1 invaded Algeria, where tens of cases are reported. The vaccine against swine influenza is necessary for children, the elderly and chronically ill.

According to Professor Faouzi Derar, head of the reference center for influenza A/H1N1 at the Pasteur Institute, dozens of cases have been recorded in Algeria during the past week. Medical tests for influenza virus A/H1N1 have been positive. The virus, brought from abroad, spreads quickly.

Professor Derar warns against deaths whenever the vaccine is not made and if the spread of this deadly virus is not prevented on time."

" MOSCOW, January 23 : A soldier of active service from a unit of the Yekaterinburg Air Force and Air Defence formation of the Central Military District died on January 21 of flu A/H1N1 (California) at the Chelyabinsk regional hospital.

He had been earlier treated at a district military hospital, Itar-Tass learnt from spokesman of the public relations service of the Russian Defence Ministry.

“On January 13, the type of the disease was confirmed with laboratory investigations by specialists of the Chelyabinsk Centre of Hygiene and Preventive Measures. Doctors failed to save the soldier despite measures of intensive therapy, taken by civil and military medics,” the service noted.

The public relations service explained that the soldier was called up for military service on last December 20 from the Kemerovo Region. "

" CAIRO, Jan 23 : An Egyptian doctor has died of swine flu, the Ministry of Health said Sunday.It said the 51-year-old doctor, from Al-Sharqiya district, northern Cairo, did not ask for medical advice when symptoms appeared had taken medication for flu by himself, Ministry spokesman Dr. Abdulrahman Shaheen said in a statement.

He said the doctor, whose name was not disclosed, was given Tamiflu but five days after symptoms started to appear.He explained that the deceased was suffering from a chronic chest inflamation caused by heavy smoking."

" MIYAZAKI : Bird flu appeared to hit another farm Sunday in Miyazaki Prefecture after five of six chickens tested from it yielded positive preliminary readings for a highly pathogenic virus, the prefectural government said.

The tests were held after 20 chickens were found dead at a farm in Shintomi, a town close to the city of Miyazaki, where six chickens at a separate farm were confirmed Saturday to have the H5 bird flu strain.

The farm in Shintomi, which raises about 66,000 chickens for eggs, would be the third poultry farm hit in the autumn and winter seasons following one that had to be sterilized in November in Shimane Prefecture, and the one in Miyazaki forced to cull all its roughly 10,000 chickens Saturday."

" The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (CHP) today (January 23) urged members of the public to be vigilant against influenza upon receipt of notification of a serious case of confirmed Influenza A affecting an eight-month-old baby boy.

The boy presented with fever and cough since January 13 and was admitted to a private hospital the next day. His fever persisted and he was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on January 21 for further treatment. He is currently in the paediatric intensive care in serious condition.

His nasopharyngeal aspirate specimen tested positive for Influenza A. Further test is on-going.

The boy’s close contacts had symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection and had recovered uneventfully after seeking medical consultation.

A spokesman for CHP reminded members of the public to stay vigilant and take precautionary measures against influenza."

" Two more cases of the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), which has already claimed three lives in Ahmedabad in the past fortnight, were detected on Friday, taking the number of confirmed cases to five.

While one of them is the husband of CCHF’s first victim Ameena Momin, the second is a male nurse at Shalby Hospital, where patients of the near-fatal infection were treated earlier.

The national institute of virology, Pune confirmed that Prashant Joy, 23, working in Shalby Hospital, was infected with the virus."

" AMMAN : A four-year-old Jordanian girl died of A/H1N1 influenza on Saturday, bringing the total number of flu fatalities this season to 11, Jordan’s Ministry of Health said.

The girl, who suffered from a chronic hereditary disease, was admitted to the Prince Hamzah Hospital in a very critical condition and died days later after receiving treatment, the Al Ghad newspaper reported.

According to an official from the ministry, the number of A/H1N1 flu cases has reached 181 since the discovery of the first case in early December 2010. The ministry called on citizens to follow prevention methods, especially groups with higher risk, like children, the elderly and the chronically ill."

" MIYAZAKI : The Miyazaki Prefectural Government said Saturday that six chickens from a poultry farm in the capital have been confirmed to have a highly pathogenic flu virus, prompting the central government to convene a task force.

The outbreak is the second to hit a poultry farm during the autumn and winter seasons since the November outbreak in Shimane Prefecture. Wild and free-range birds infected with the highly virulent H5N1 bird flu have been surfacing in Hokkaido and Tottori, Kagoshima and Fukushima prefectures since October. On Saturday, Hokkaido officials said the virus had also been detected in a weakened swan found in the town of Hamanaka.

The finding in Miyazaki is yet another blow to the prefecture's livestock industry, which was hit by bird flu in 2007 and a foot-and-mouth epidemic last year that led to the slaughter of about 290,000 cows and pigs."

" Jakarta : As heavy rain caused havoc on Jakarta’s roads on Friday, city officials warned that more was to come, and asked residents to take adequate precautions against dengue fever.

Hamid, a forecaster at the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said to expect a wet weekend, with medium rainfall predicted in Tangerang, Bogor and Depok as well as West, North and Central Jakarta.

Friday, January 21, 2011

" Under the present avian influenza surveillance programme on dead wild birds, test results available today (January 21) showed that a dead Large-billed Crow found in Tai O was confirmed to be H5N1 positive, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said.

The bird carcass was collected at Sun Ki Street, Tai O on January 18. It was highly decomposed when found and required a series of tests before avian influenza was confirmed today.

The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the dead bird was found. The Large-billed Crow is a common resident bird in Hong Kong.

In addition, a dead Oriental Magpie Robin collected on January 17 near a refuse collection point at Fairview Park, Yuen Long was also confirmed to be H5N1 positive after laboratory testing.

The spokesman said all relevant government departments would continue to remain highly vigilant and strictly enforce preventive measures against avian influenza.

The AFCD has phoned poultry farmers to remind them to strengthen precautionary and biosecurity measures against avian influenza. Letters have been issued to farmers, pet bird shop owners, licence holders of pet poultry and racing pigeons reminding them that proper precautions must be taken."

Thursday's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said most influenza surveillance is done in hospitals or doctor's offices, where cases can be tracked and some are confirmed through testing, but this study monitored influenza-like illness by calling people at home and asking them questions about their symptoms."

" THE DEATHS of four more people in the Republic from influenza were confirmed yesterday but the number of new cases of flu-like illness in the community has fallen.

Five more flu deaths were also reported in Northern Ireland, where the chief medical officer warned more people were likely to die, even though it is hoped the number of cases has peaked.

In the Republic, some 7,700 cases of flu have been recorded in the last week, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), down from 9,000 cases a week earlier.

Almost 80 per cent of the cases diagnosed in the last seven days were of human swine flu.

The rate of infection fell from 200 cases to 173 cases per 100,000 of population. However, the rate among younger people has increased significantly, with 213 cases occurring per 100,000 in the zero to four age group."

" 20 January 2011 : The Ministry of Health of Egypt has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza. A 1-year-old male from Alexandria Governorate, developed symptoms on 12 January and was hospitalized on 13 January.

He is in a stable condition.

Investigations into the source of infection indicated that the case had exposure to poultry.

The case was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratories, a National Influenza Center of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN). "

Thursday, January 20, 2011

" Kaputa district in the Northern Province has been hit with a serious malaria epidemic, raising concern among medical staff in the district.

The district has so far recorded 1, 927 cases of malaria with 62 deaths recorded between October 2010 and December the same year.

This is according to statistics submitted to the District Health Office by four of the 12 health centers in the district.

Kaputa District Director of Health Michael Musonda described the situation as serious saying urgent action needs to be taken to ensure that the situation is put under control.

Dr. Musonda disclosed that the Malaria Control Centre in Lusaka has since donated over 66, 000 mosquito nets to be distributed to members of the community in Kaputa district in an effort to curb the situation."

" KORIYAMA, Fukushima : Highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu has been detected in the corpses of two migratory wild ducks found at a reservoir here, prefectural authorities announced on Jan. 19.

From Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, the prefecture gathered seven bird corpses from the reservoir and sent them for testing at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Four of the corpses tested positive for Type-A influenza, and further investigation at Hokkaido University in Sapporo found that two had the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu. The other two are still being investigated.

The prefecture set up a response center on Jan. 19 and on the morning of Jan. 20 began sending inspectors clad in protective suits to 59 poultry farms in a 10-kilometer radius area under supervision that includes neighboring towns. The inspectors are interviewing farmers, looking for signs of contagion such as changes in the death or egg-laying rates of chickens, and checking that farms have anti-contagion measures in place such as nets to keep out wild birds and supplies of disinfectant on hand."

" MOSCOW, Jan. 20 : Officers were to blame for a pneumonia outbreak that killed one soldier and hospitalized 63 in western Russia's Chelyabinsk region, the Prosecutor General's Office said Thursday.

"The Military Prosecutor's Office of the Volga-Urals Military District investigated the reasons behind high disease rates among servicemen there. It found that certain officers have failed to fulfill their duties properly to guard the life and health of their soldiers," Interfax news agency quoted the Prosecutor's Office as saying.

According to the prosecutors, the officers of the Chebarkul garrison failed to isolate ill soldiers quickly enough, did not provide them with necessary medical aid or take preventive measures among the garrison's personnel when the first pneumonia cases were reported there in December and January."

" Sittwe: Over 1,000 chickens have been culled in Sittwe Township in Arakan State after a tough strain of H5N1 virus was detected at a poultry farm, officials and a witness report.

The latest infection was detected on 12 January at a poultry farm in Bumay Village Tract in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, after all the chickens died unexpectedly.

A witness said, "Many chickens from around ten poultry farms in Tae Chaung Village were culled on Monday. The culling was conducted by the health department. I'd guess over 1,000 chickens were killed by the authority."

" The Holy Family Hospital (HFH) received three more suspects of swine influenza (swine flu) here on Wednesday whose swaps were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, for confirmatory tests. “We received another three patients with symptoms of swine flu on Wednesday and after suspecting them to be patients of the infection, the HFH has sent their samples to the NIH for confirmation,” said Infection Control Committee at Holy Family Hospital In-charge Dr. Javed Hayat while talking to ‘The News’.

He added that the three suspects are being kept in isolation. Earlier, the HFH received a total of four patients of the infection, of which two were tested positive while two negative by the NIH. “Of the two confirmed patients of swine flu, one died while the other, who is stable, has been undergoing treatment in the hospital,” he said.

Throughout Pakistan, there is a continued increase in laboratory-confirmed cases of the swine influenza infections and keeping this in mind, the health experts have started stressing on the need for creating awareness among the public on its prevention. Experts believe that if preventive measures are not taken well in time, the country might have to deal with a serious situation."

" LEGAZPI CITY : A nine-month-old baby died of diarrhea while 250 other persons were found ill in a village in Siruma town in Camarines Sur, regional health and disaster officials said Wednesday.

An epidemiology team sent by the Department of Health to Barangay Butawanan found that out of the 450 residents being examined on site, 250 tested positive for diarrhea and were undergoing treatment, said Dr. Rose Rempillo DOH assistant regional director.

" PUNE: The National Institute of Virology (NIV) has alerted medical establishments in the state to keep an eye on any case of dengue showing unusually serious clinical manifestation to rule out the presence of the newly-identified virus, initial infection signs of which bear resemblance to dengue haemorrhagic fever. However, unlike dengue, the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus is highly infectious and carries a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, which is very high. The virus, isolated and identified by the NIV on Monday, has claimed three lives in Gujarat in the last 15 days.

"This for the first time that the virus has been identified in India. Considering the highly infectious nature of the virus, it is extremely important to be vigilant. Precaution is the key to keep the virus at bay," A C Mishra, director of NIV told TOI on Wednesday."

" The Townsville City Council (TCC) says two residents have returned home in the past week after contracting dengue fever in Bali.

The TCC will closely monitor the impact of the two imported cases after detecting 30 locally-transmitted infections last month.

Councillor Dale Last says residents need to constantly check to make sure their properties are not breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

"Back into the new year and as people come back from holidays, we really need to keep a close eye on that because we're getting, as you know, wet weather basically every day so it makes it even more important for people to be conducting those checks on a weekly basis," he said."

" AHMADABAD, India : An Ebola-like hemorrhagic fever has killed three people in western India and dozens of doctors will screen a community of about 16,000 people in efforts to contain the disease, a state health minister said Wednesday."

" The Ministry of Health has issued a fresh swine-flu alert after new cases were detected in Hanoi and HCM City last week.

In HCM City, two women in District 8 and a 24-year-old woman who returned from Malaysia have been infected with swine flu.

A 24-year-old pregnant woman tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus after being admitted to the Hanoi-based Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases last week with fever and cough. She is now in a stable condition, doctors said, adding that her relatives are being closely monitored for signs of infection.

Dr. Nguyen Van Binh, Director of the Preventative Health Agency, warned people to be aware of flu-like symptoms. Moreover, the world authorities have reported that a re-occurrence of swine flu is about to happen,similar to the one that has killed over 100 people in the United Kingdom recently.

Binh said that in Vietnam there has been an increase of swine flu cases, with three recorded this month. The percentage of H1N1 infection cases now accounts for 10 percent of all flu infections. However, all cases have been very slight and no new cases of the virus have been reported recently."

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 19) reminded members of the public and management of institutions to maintain good environmental and personal hygiene to prevent influenza.

The appeal followed CHP's receipt of notifications of influenza-like-illness (ILI) outbreaks from an institution in Lai Chi Kok and a primary school in Yuen Long, affecting a total of 44 people.

In the first case, the affected included 24 men aged between 21 and 58. They developed symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including fever, cough and sore throat, beginning January 11. All of them sought medical attention and no hospitalisation was required. Throat swabs of two affected persons tested positive for influenza A virus subtype H1 (human swine influenza).

In the second case, the affected students, comprising 11 males and nine females, were aged between seven and 10. They developed similar respiratory tract infection symptoms, beginning January 6. None required hospitalisation.

" A spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (January 19):

A total of 12 patients (aged 23 to 59) and a staff member of a male ward have presented with symptoms of fever and flu since January 13. Viral test results of 10 patients are positive to Influenza A. One of the patients has been transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment under isolation. The hospital will continue to provide treatment to the remaining 11 patients and closely monitor their condition. All 12 patients are in stable condition. The staff member concerned is on sick leave.

Admission and visiting to the concerned ward are suspended for the time being. Infection control measures at the ward have already been stepped up. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance. "

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

" Chiang Mai : The avian influenza has been detected on a poultry farm in Sittwe in Arakan State, according to the Burmese Ministry of Fishery and Livestock.The state newspapers confirmed that concerns first arose as some battery hens died on a poultry farm in Bumay Village in Sittwe Township. A Rangoon veterinary diagnostic lab diagnosed the deaths occurred because of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

The Sittwe Township husbandry and veterinary pathology department issued an alert not to eat chickens from the farm and to cook chickens from other farms thoroughly.On Tuesday, local health service officials and staff began to visit poultry farms in Arakan State to examine the farms and to spray insecticides, a spokesperson of the Arakan State Health Department told Mizzima.

A spokesperson at the Sittwe Township’s husbandry veterinary pathology department told Mizzima: ‘The poultry on the farm seemed to be infected and when the colour of the cockscombs of some male chickens turned black, they died. We contacted the veterinary diagnostic lab and found that the chickens were infected the influenza."

" To cope with dengue, the Ministry of Health of Honduras has 40,000 kilos of Abbe, enough to cover the first quarter of the year nationwide.

"This is a strengthening of the ongoing campaign we have against the mosquito vector, we have portable thermo lists 100 machines, 26 machines, equipment and tomorrow (today) get 20 more, as well as the 100 motomochilas" said Roxana Araujo, Dengue Programme Director. There are several ways to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue fever and hemorrhagic.

You can use the larvicide known as Abbe to kill mosquito larvae. The Abbe is deposited in micro-perforated bags in piles and any water storage container."

" Dozens of students at a boarding school, in Metro Lampung suspected swine flu virus. Until Monday (17,01,11) afternoon they were still treated in isolation rooms in boarding school, while others treated at the clinic. The number of swine flu has reached 99 people. But most of his condition improves, only 15 students are admitted to intensive.

The result of the examination while 78 santeri Muhsin boarding school in Purwosari Metro, Lampung allegedly attacked by the virus H1N1 or avian flu is not as originally expected. Until Monday afternoon, the number recorded is 99 students, but some have been improved."

" An antibody that could attack the notoriously strong “zipper” of MRSA cells was recently discovered by researchers from University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. The researchers said the advance holds hope for a vaccine that will prevent MRSA, potentially deadly infections that are antibiotic resistant.

“The big discovery we made in finding this vaccine is in part that the molecule we discovered will unzip MRSA’s iron clad cell wall,” said Edward Schwarz, professor of orthopaedics and associate director of the URMC Center for Musculoskeletal Research. “If the [MRSA] cell wants to divide, it has to unzip. So the vaccine targets the zipper.”

The zipper is made of the enzyme glucosaminidase or GMD. The researchers at Rochester are looking for antibodies that will disable it."

" Bikita, January 18, 2011 : A fresh cholera outbreak which has seen 60 people infected with the disease and four people dead have been reported here.

Masvingo Provincial Medical Director Dr Robert Mudyiradima said tests had confirmed that the deaths of two children, one man and a woman from Nyika Growth Point were caused by cholera."We have dispatched our health teams to assess the situation and raise more awareness on the disease,” Dr Mudyiradima said.

He said the recent rains and a recent meeting of the Apostolic Faith members could have contributed to the resurgent outbreak."

" A man was said to have died of the H1N1 virus, or "swine flu," in the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira on Tuesday.

Mohamed Abdel Gawad, 35, was hospitalized for two days after showing symptoms of the disease.

“We also took samples from his family members in order to test them,” said Health Ministry Undersecretary Hisham Atta.

Another five alleged cases of swine flu were discovered in the neighboring governorate of Daqahliya, while 20 others suspected of having contracted the disease were quarantined. Of these, 12 have since been released.

In Port Said, meanwhile, another three people were also reported to have been diagnosed with the disease."

" Serbian health authorities on Tuesday reported the first death of swine flu caused by the H1N1 virus in the Balkans country this year.

"A first lethal case linked to the flu virus H1N1 was reported. It concerned a person born in 1968 and living in Banat (northern Serbia) who suffered from chronic cardiac illness," the Serbian national health institute said in a statement.

The institute added that currently 26 people were officially diagnosed as having swine flu with three among them in serious condition in hospital intensive care units."

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has again reminded members of the public and management of institutions to maintain good environmental and personal hygiene to prevent influenza.

The appeal was made after CHP received a report of an influenza-like-illness (ILI) outbreak at a primary school in Discovery Bay, affecting 29 children.

The affected persons comprise 13 boys and 16 girls aged between five and eight. They developed symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including fever, cough and sore throat, since January 10.

None of them required hospitalisation. Respiratory specimens from two of the affected were positive for influenza B by rapid test by a private clinic.

" Regions in southwest Bulgaria have declared a flu epidemic because of the drastic rise in cases of people suffering from respiratory problems, Dnevnik daily reported on January 18 2011.The city of Blagoevgrad, and the town of Petrich near the Koulata-Promachon border crossing point with Greece, have both declared a flu epidemic.

This will come into effect on January 19 2011.Those most affected by the strain are children aged 5-14, followed by youngsters aged 15-29. Pupils who are not attending school at the moment on account of illness currently account for 18-22 per cent of the total number, depending on the institution. Schools have taken necessary "preemptive and preventative measures", but will not shut doors because of the epidemic, regardless.

The report does not mention the H1N1 strain, otherwise known as swine flu in this particular case, although cases of swine flu are not excluded. It is believed that the main culprit in Blagoevgrad and Petrich is the seasonal winter flu, which, according to medical officials, was expected to peak in Bulgaria in the second half of January."

" SOUTH KOREA : There were 23 new outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), across the western side of the country, particularly in the far south-west.

The authorities sent Follow Up Report No. 4 dated 17 January to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

All outbreaks reported were on farms and started between 6 and 13 January. Most were on ducks farms in the regions of Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla), Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong) and Gyeonggi-do."

" In response to media enquiry, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) confirmed today (January 18) that a report from Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) of a suspected case of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) affecting an 81-year old woman with history of influenza vaccination was received today.

The patient, who has underlying medical conditions, received an influenza vaccination at a government out-patient clinic on December 22, 2010 and developed bilateral lower limb weakness on December 29, seven days after the vaccination. She was admitted to QMH on January 14 and is currently in stable condition.

A spokesman for the CHP said that further investigations are being carried out to ascertain the diagnosis, including for GBS and other neurological conditions."

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 18) repeated its call for vigilance against influenza as a report was received of a critical case of confirmed Influenza A affecting a two-year-old girl.

The girl presented with fever, cough and running nose yesterday (January 17) and was taken for medical treatment by a private doctor. She further developed convulsions today and was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

She was suspected to have developed encephalitis. Her current condition is critical.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

" The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, confirmed on Monday another patient from Karachi infected with swine flu.

The total number of patients with H1N1 Type-A Influenza infections in Sindh had reached 22, officials said.A resident of North Nazimabad, 30-year-old Asif-ul-Haq had visited the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital’s OPD with flu symptoms.

His swab samples were sent to the NIH Islamabad that confirmed that Haq was suffering from swine flu, Dr Suresh Kumar, in-charge Sindh Influenza Surveillance Cell, told The News."

" A five-year-old girl has become the third swine flu victim in Austria this winter.The mentally and physically disabled child passed away in Salzburg’s Provincial Hospital yesterday (Sun) after having suffered from pneumonia for some time, local authorities confirmed today.

The girl was hospitalised after her condition worsened last Wednesday.

A 32-year-old male German holidaymaker died of the H1N1 virus in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, a ski resort in the province of Salzburg, on New Year’s Day before a chronically ill man, 19, passed away in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, last Wednesday."

" A foot-and-mouth disease epidemic that started in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province in late November has now spread to 50 small cities and towns in five provinces, with a total of 128 separate outbreaks reported until Monday.

Nearly 2 million livestock have been culled, including some 132,000 heads of cattle and 1.85 million pigs. Compensation payments for affected farm households have risen to W1.2 trillion (US$1=W1,119).

The previous record of culled livestock was 160,155 in 2002. With the disease continuing to spread, the government last Thursday started to vaccinate all cattle and pigs nationwide, which has slowed the spread. There were no reports of suspected new cases on Sunday."

" Swine flu claimed its first victim in Romania for this year, the local authorities have announced.A 60-year-old man died Sunday night in the hospital in the city of Iasi, about 320 km north-east of Bucharest.

The man had recently returned from Egypt and he started developing the symptoms shortly after that.

At present, there are two confirmed cases of people infected with the A(H1N1) virus in Romania. Last year, 122 people died from the virus in the country."

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 17) urged members of the public and management of institutions to maintain good environmental and personal hygiene to prevent influenza.

The appeal was made after CHP received a report of an influenza-like-illness (ILI) outbreak in a kindergarten cum child care centre in Tai Po, affecting 20 children.

The affected persons comprised 13 boys and seven girls aged between two and five. They developed symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including fever, cough and sore throat since January 5.

Two of them required hospitalisation and have been discharged. Nasopharyngeal aspirate from one of them tested positive for influenza A at a private hospital."

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 17) called on the public to maintain vigilance against seasonal influenza as latest surveillance data showed that Hong Kong has entered the winter influenza peak season.

The Public Health Laboratory Centre (PHLC) of the CHP has detected increases in the number of influenza isolations recently. A total of 149 influenza detections were recorded last week (ending January 15, 2011) compared with 26, 47 and 77 in the weeks ending December 25, 2010, January 1 and January 8, 2011 respectively. The number of influenza-like illness outbreaks occurring in institutions and schools also increased from three in the week ending January 8 to 17 in the week ending January 15.

The majority (76%) of influenza viruses isolated in the recent two weeks were influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (i.e. human swine influenza), followed by influenza A (H3N2) (12%) and influenza B (12%)."

Indramayu : Livestock Service (Distankan) stated fifty percent of Kabupaten Indramayu, West Java province, as bird flu endemic area.The disease is feared to spread among birds during rainy season. According to 2011 data of Distankan Kabupaten Indramayu, of 31 sub-districts, 18 are bird flu endemic. The endemic status was made based on the bird death data."

Monday, January 17, 2011

" Plans underway to get patients faster hospital emergency care could be undone if more people don't get flu vaccinations and Alberta is hit by a flu tsunami similar to Ontario's, the acting CEO of Alberta's health superboard says.

"I remain very concerned that Albertans have not gone to get influenza vaccine at the rate they should have to deal with their own health ... and prevent some of the visits that need to come to our emergency departments," said Dr. Chris Eagle with Alberta Health Services.

Although plans adopted in December appear to have successfully decreased the number of admitted patients blocking emergency stretchers for new patients, he said that could be reversed if emergency rooms become inundated with flu patients."

" SWABI: The number of swine flu patients in the district reached to 17 after four more persons were found positive for the virus, official sources said on Sunday.“The National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad has confirmed four more cases. The affectees belong to Kala, Chota Lahor and Kadi villages.

Kadi is located adjacent to the Panjpir village from where some positive cases of NIH virus had already been confirmed,” the sources added.Meanwhile, lawmaker Mukhtiar Khan, advisor to the chief minister, visited the hospital and met with the doctors to discuss the latest situation.

He was the first politician from the Swabi to visit the hospital after the swine flu hit the district."

" A quarter of national swine flu deaths have happened in East Yorkshire, with ten people with the condition having died there.

Half were men and half women, the BBC reports, and nine out of ten had underlying health conditions. Only one did not have another condition, and died primarily from swine flu.

So far this winter 50 flu deaths have occurred; 45 were due to swine flu or H1N1. Since December 1st there have been 84 confirmed cases of swine flu in hospitals, while more than 200 people have been admitted to hospitals with suspected swine flu. The surge in cases has forced hospitals to cancel some major operations to make bed space."

" THE onset of the new year, the Department of Health in Central Visayas advised the public to continue taking precaution against dengue cases in the region continued to rise based on the yearend report of the DOH-7—Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit in Central Visayas (RESU-7).

Cebu City topped the list with 23.8 percent, followed by Tagbilaran City in Bohol with 4.1 percent, Lapu-Lapu City and Talisay City in Cebu with four percent and 3.5 percent respectively and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental with 3.5 percent.

According to the report, 20 persons died of dengue in 2010 out of the 3,772 cases, which was higher than the 1,001 dengue cases recorded in 2009. Most of the victims are children aged 6-10."

" CAIRO, Jan 16 : Deaths due to H1N1 flu, better known as swine flu, hit 26 this week in Egypt with most of them of highly pathogenic cases, spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Abdulrahman Shahin said here Sunday.

He added in a statement that those of chronic diseases and pregnant account for 75 percent of these highly pathogenic cases.Shahin added that the efforts made by the monitoring teams from Jan. 9 to Jan 15 led to detecting 598 cases of swine flu."

" Another case of A/H1N1 influenza has been detected in district 3, Ho Chi Minh City, said the city Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The patient is a 24 year-old woman who has just returned from Malaysia. After having a high fever for two days, she was admitted to the hospital for treatment on January 8 and tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus."

" Egypt's Ministry of Health announced on Sunday that 26 people had died from "complications associated with the H1N1 virus," commonly known as "swine flu,” over the course of the past week, but added that overall infection rates were considerably lower than last year.

Most of those who died were people already suffering from chronic diseases or pregnant women, according to a ministry statement."